This archive report was first published on 11 October 2021.
November 2020: Containers at a yard in Changamwe, Mombasa County.
Kenya Association of Road Transporters (KTA) has called on the government to implement fair and impartial solutions in the transport sector to boost economic growth.
Speaking during the annual general meeting in Mombasa, KTA chairman Newton Wang'oo noted that unfair practices would not sustain key government projects aimed at improving efficiency.
Wang'oo cited the operationalization of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Meter Gauge Railway, saying it was wrong for the government to compel importers and traders to use SGR when transporting goods.
'The government should not use illegal tactics that are against a free-market economic model, compelling importers to use SGR. This is unconstitutional and our courts of law have ruled to that effect,' he said.
Wang'oo emphasized that KTA insists on freedom of choice, allowing importers or traders to choose the most economical mode of transport and allowing both SGR/MGR to compete fairly without subsidies or underhand government policies that are unconstitutional.
He also raised concerns about the Railway Development Levy, which has been charged on all imports coming into Kenya since 2013. Wang'oo questioned the government's accounting of the billions raised from the RDL, stating that they want to know if these funds are being channeled to government coffers.
Additionally, Wang'oo highlighted a shocking incident where some of their members who had won tenders to transport fertilizer from the Mombasa Port were informed that they could not do so since directives had been issued to have the fertilizer cargo railed to Nairobi instead.
He demanded an independent investigation into the contractual agreement between the private facility in Nairobi and the government, as well as whether correct public procurement measures were followed to give the facility the job.
MPs Abdulswamad Nassir and Mishi Mboko pledged to fight for the rights of transporters in parliament once it resumes its business.
